Balbirnie Park Club Campsite

Rated 5 of 5

Overall rating

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 4 of 5

Good for families

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Great site and very clean

This is the 2nd visit any the site nor the wardens disappointed us. The shower block is exceptionally clean and the wardens very friendly and helpful. This is the first grass pitch we’ve been on. Very clean and quite. There loads of places to visit nearby and I particularly liked the remote barrier system. You don’t have to struggle trying to swipe a card. We will be back soon. Thanks to the wardens. Keep up the great work that you’re doing.

5 reviews

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 4 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Great Site - Well looked after

We have been to Balbirnie Caravan Park several times, we generally go at the start of the season and at the end of the season to get our van ready for the holidays. The owners were very friendly and helpful. The toilets were spotless I could have eaten my dinner off the floor ... well done for keeping the toilets fab. If the toilet/shower block is clean that is the most important thing for me to choose a site. We had a great pitch hard standing and next to the shower block we had more than enough space for our caravan, awning and car to fit nicely and have some privacy. Balbirnie park is great place for dog walking it has woods and also large grassy areas. Only small downside is that the site overlooks a housing estate it would be good if there were some large trees or something to block the view. There isnt much in the village regarding shops however just a 5 minute drive there are several large super stores, ASDA, Morrisons & a Lidl.

RuthSmith

Caravanner

Reviewed on 27/09/2021 15:29

1 review

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

amazing site and best wardens ever

This is our second visit to Balbirnie Park. On our arrival we were greeted by a very warm welcome from Joanna and Craig. They were so friendly and so helpful ensuring we had a pitch near the facilities block as my wife has mobility issues and disability in walking. They even contacted the next site we were visiting to ask for a pitch near the facilities as we didn't know we could do this. They both work extremely hard keeping the site in a very clean and tidy condition. Always ensuring the facilities blocks are kept to a high standard at any time of the day. We often saw Craig checking them as well as doing a check around the site. They are probably the best staff we have come across in the last 5 years of Motor homing. We would strongly recommend the Laurel Bank Hotel for food as we ate there every night and were never disappointed with the food or the service. We also recommend using the trains if you are Motorhomer's. The station is only 10 minute walk away and the fares are very reasonable into Edinburgh and Dundee, it is also good to get to Perth too but we didn't partake in this one as we were only at Balbirnie Park for 3 nights. They run every hour and are very clean and strict on covid rules regarding masks whilst travelling, so you feel safe.

14 reviews

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 4 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 4 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 4 of 5

Location

Rated 2 of 5

Good for families

A good base, but a site likely to divide opinion

This site was not to my taste, though some might love it for its nooks and grannies and unstructured nature. My time here was not helped by a lot of wet, dank, misty and very muggy weather which made what is a very gloomy site even gloomier. It is heavily wooded, the trees tall, and there is not much light. The damp, and the detritus created by myriad trees, meant for an untidy and grubby surface underfoot and this grime was easily trampled into the van. I pitched in a relatively open area at the north-east edge of the site, adjacent to housing. This area has a hard-core surface throughout and is set low down. Many pitches were defined by a dividing bed of shrubs, but others relied on customers being fair about how far they spread themselves. I saw one instance of encroachment that would have enraged me if I were the neighbour. The nearest service point to this part of the site was atop of a steep bank making hauling a full waste carrier up quite an effort and negotiating a full water carrier down a challenge. Perhaps there were technical reasons why the site engineers (presumably many years ago as the site feels very aged) could not put a service point in this low part which, after all, had 20 pitches. If not, this was negligent design.

There were a number of seasonal pitches in this part. My neighbours – either side and opposite – were unoccupied during my stay save for one van for one night only. It made for a lonely existence and, along with the darkness and dreariness of the site, made for a sense of cheerlessness.

For caravanners there is much to see in Fife and that makes the site a good base. For those who rely on public transport, the new station is a 15-minute walk with direct trains to Dundee, Perth, Edinburgh and elsewhere. For once, I did not explore the buses but there appears to be several options from outside the site.

The local village of Markinch is typically grey, but, if you explore it, you’ll find it to be surprisingly pretty with lots of lovely narrow, hilly streets with pretty cottages. The church is well worth a visit and also Markinch Hill which has some good views – restricted by trees – to the Forth estuary. The village has limited facilities including some dubious looking pubs, a hotel, suffering with bad reviews it seems, two mini supermarkets, a pharmacy, a pretty little gift shop and an over-supply of hairdressers. I enjoyed the 3-Beans Coffee shop daily and the Grace Chinese was excellent, if very expensive. I was disappointed with Balbirnie Park in which I could find nothing of much interest and most of which is taken up by a golf course. The standing stones were something of an anti-climax. Nearby Glenrothes is a new town that has seen happier times. The saving grace of this visit was that the local people, and the Scottish people on site, were wonderfully friendly and warm with almost every passer-by offering a greeting and those in the shops and other establishments always ready for a chat.

Graydjames

from Leicestershire

Reviewed on 16/09/2021 11:27

56 reviews

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Great site

Spent three nights on Balbirnie Park what a fabulous site , the two wardens are probably the best we’ve come across in over ten years membership, the amenities block is pristine and a credit to these two, we will definitely stay there again 🤗

GDZ 9

Motorhomer from Lancashire

Reviewed on 14/09/2021 11:32

2 reviews

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 3 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 4 of 5

Location

Rated 3 of 5

Good for families

Clean and Welcoming

Of the 3 club sites we've visited this was the friendliest as the wardens were most welcoming and helpful. The facilities are all very clean and a pleasure to use. The proximity to Markinch is + for the local co-op. The - is the Laurel Bank Hotel which is also the local pub and very rowdy at closing time when the patrons past by the campsite after 10pm. The shouting and screaming sounded like it's right in the campsite. So the peace and quiet we desired was disturbed. I don't recommend staying here on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights for this reason. Also see the reviews first if you fancy a meal at the hotel. I don't recommend it as the food is not good.

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Campervanner

Reviewed on 09/09/2021 13:28

1 review

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 4 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 3 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

Super Wardens

Met by wardens who remembered us and our dog, as we met them whilst they were on a few day’s break at Brora. Good friendly welcome. Site facilities immaculate and site as a whole well maintained. We were there only one night but dog walking superb in Balbirnie Park. Site rather dark mainly amongst tall mature trees. Surrounding area is good for visiting, but Markinch very drab and the Laurel Bank hotel not recommended, especially at weekend(read Tripadvisor where reviews are generally very poor….wish we had read them before going). But a thanks to the Wardens for their warm welcome.

Terrytintop

Reviewed on 06/09/2021 18:18

18 reviews

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 5 of 5

Good for families

First Visit to Balbirnie Park Caravan Site

We visited this site for the first time - indeed it was our first time on a CMC site. We could not have chosen a better site for our first visit. From the time we arrived at reception until leaving a week later Joanna and Craig were always around maintaining the site and being welcoming and helpful to everyone. Check in was so easy and quick and everything was clearly explained to us. The site was spotless with a really friendly atmosphere and very relaxing. Our pitch was excellent and all faciltiies were at hand.Toilet and shower facilities were spotless.Super walks within easy reach. We will certainly return. Joanna and Craig are great ambassadors for CMC! Thanks to them both.

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Caravanner

Reviewed on 19/08/2021 12:06

1 review

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 5 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 5 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 5 of 5

Location

Rated 3 of 5

Good for families

Great location for exploring

This is a lovely site with clean, up to date facilities. However the wardens didn’t really seem too pleased to have us there when we arrived and I didn’t feel particularly welcome, especially when I asked if our two parties could have adjoining pitches (which were available). They didn’t appear to enjoy their time there which created a bit of an atmosphere. Some of the pitches are in the trees and this can be quite gloomy. There was a change of staff halfway through the stay and they seemed to enjoy their role much more which put us at ease. This is an excellent base for exploring Edinburgh and Dundee via train (there is an excellent train service) and getting to the village of Elie by bus. Lots to see and do in Balbirnie Park too.

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Campervanner

Reviewed on 16/08/2021 14:35

2 reviews

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Rated 4 of 5

Rated 4 of 5

Peace and quiet

Rated 3 of 5

Facilities and cleanliness

Rated 3 of 5

Location

Rated 3 of 5

Good for families

Some pitches not very user friendly

We were initially directed towards a pitch it the area of the site closest to the entrance. Here the pitches are at awkward angles and some are incredibly sloping. Not the usual quality I’d expect from a club site. As the pitch was wholly unsuitable, we found another one on a much flatter part of the site. The wardens are very hard working and are looking after the site well. Unfortunately this means that they aren’t in reception in the hours advertised as they are out on site. This makes it difficult to seek information, make any minor purchases or obtain laundry tokens. On reflection, we probably wouldn’t stay on this site again.

HeidiVan

Reviewed on 03/08/2021 22:17

13 reviews

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